Wednesday, May 30, 2012

I am just tickled pink, yes pun intended, about my Honeysuckle perennial this year! The blossoms are just popping up everywhere. The hummingbird moths are circling around, and boy are they cool, with horizontal and vertical striped bodies. You can see one in the picture above towards the top. I couldn't get a close-up picture that wasn't blurry, so I grabbed one off the web.

Aren't they cool? It is called a White-lined spinx moth (Hyles lineata). I thought for sure it had to be a hummingbird with its super fast wing speed and because they often make appearances around the plant as well, but then my daughter, all of very bright 13 years of age, pointed out..."no mom, birds do not have antennas". Hmmm...little smarty pants...and of course, she's right.

I love the flowers. So exotic with splays of petals in colorful pink, orange, gold, and yellow. Almost sherbert like colors -- so I thought...hey! let's look at rooms using the same color combos!

Sunday, May 20, 2012

I am absolutely loving these concrete tiles I recently saw on Designboom by Mut design studio + atelier! The pattern is called 'Drops'. They are made from a mold so you can fit them together to make a variety of combinations, with images of circular droplets, goldfish, lotus plants, and water lillies. Made as an encaustic tile, meaning the color comes from various clay colors and not glaze, the pattern has depth and will not wear away with use. These would be so fabulous here in Minnesota where you could heat it underneath and have a floor that is beautiful and toasty! Check out more images of this unique pattern here.

Wouldn't 'Drops' just be stunning in a sun room? The pattern 'Drops' was designed for the manufacturer Entic Designs. Check out their website here where you can see more fabulous patterns like the two below.

Monday, May 7, 2012

I love this dining room. The casual, simple chairs combined with the ornate, glittering chandelier. The table with its combination of wood and chrome finishes. The subtle art with just enough color on the edges to separate it from the wall. Aahhhh... So well balanced. Truly lovely.

Saturday, May 5, 2012

Hi all! I know this week I was going to continue with the Dining Room of a main floor project I am working on, but alas, I did not have time to get photos of the selections we are using, so will have to postpone that one until next week.

In the meantime, I have a wonderful little find I picked up in an antique store I want to share. It was a long time in the making, that's for sure. I picked up this adorable little gold table last summer. One can never have too many little tables! However, when expressing this sentiment as my son was in the same room, his reply was, "Mom, more little tables are not always the answer." Mon Cher!

When I took all the crap off of the top of the table while in the antique store, the glass top was severely cracked and broken, so the guy took $5 off. Then I tipped it upside down, and one of the four gold floral stalks came loose...there went another $5. Then I noticed one of the corners wasn't secure...yep, you guessed it, another $5! I was really enjoying this game!! It started at $55 (still a steal I thought) and ended at $40.

I had my friend Kelly Ludeking, a fabulous metal artist who has a done a lot of work for me over the years, weld the corner that had come loose. Not a good pic, I know. That was $50.

Next, I had glass made for the top. I knew I wanted extra thick chunky glass so I would have a blue ring at the top when the sunlight hit it. Because the metal corners were slightly curved, the glass piece had to have radiuses cut into them, definitely an increase in price. By the time we were done, the glass piece cost $100.

View from the top

And another...

Lookin' good!!

About $200 later, I love my table!! It works well in my very eclectic, yet inviting, living room! Do you have fabulous finds and trinkets to share? Let me know!

Thursday, May 3, 2012

Press Release

I'm very excited to share with you a Minnesota residential project "Arts & Crafts Reinterpretation" of mine that was featured on the Design Shuffle Blog Wed., May 3. Please check it out at www.designshuffle.com! Be sure to keep a lookout as this home will be featured in the Winter 2012/13 issue of the magazine, Arts & Crafts Homes and the Revival.